Joe Root. (Photo Source: Twitter)
The fireworks were on during Day 4 of the first Ashes Test as Joe Root began the proceedings with an extravagant reverse scoop off Australian skipper, Pat Cummins. However, the former England skipper failed to do so on the first attempt. Nevertheless, the cricketer didn’t give up and in the second over of the day; he managed to hit a six and a boundary in a similar fashion as Root looked to be in the mood to take on the opposition.
However, he couldn’t stay much longer on the crease. Against Nathan Lyon, the 32-year-old shimmied down the track and went after a big shot but unfortunately was bamboozled in the end. He was undone by a cunning off-spinner as the middle order batter completely missed the ball, while Alex Carey had no problem whatsoever collecting it and stumping the batter.
With that, Root for the first time got stumped in his Test career. He also stands second on the list of scoring the most number of runs in Test cricket without getting stumped. Legendary West Indies cricketer, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, is only 246 runs ahead of him on the list.
Joe Root finished the last WTC cycle as the leading run-scorer
Notably, the star England batter, Joe Root, is in remarkable form at the moment, hitting a terrific century in the first innings. He looked flawless and a change in his approach has definitely helped him score more runs at a much quicker rate. The cricketer also finished the last WTC cycle as the leading run-getter (1915 runs) and interestingly, he is also the highest run-getter in the history of the competition.
Thus, for England to win back the urn after eight years, Root will have to play a vital role as he is the most experienced batter in the team. The cricketer can take a lot of responsibility in getting things done, and he has so far shown in class. Arguably, England’s new ‘Bazball’ philosophy hasn’t affected much to his batting and he would be aiming to continue in a similar fashion in the remaining four matches.